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Hispalis-Sabarian Wars
|- ! colspan="2" style="background-color: rgb(176, 196, 222); text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;"|Belligerents |- | style="border-right: 1px dotted rgb(170, 170, 170); width: 50%;"| Hispales | style="width: 50%; padding-left: 0.25em;"| Sabaria |- ! colspan="2" style="background-color: rgb(176, 196, 222); text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;"|Commanders |- | style="border-right: 1px dotted rgb(170, 170, 170); width: 50%;"| Galinthias Thersites Timocrates | style="width: 50%; padding-left: 0.25em;"| Illidio Catullio |- ! colspan="2" style="background-color: rgb(176, 196, 222); text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;"|Strength |- | style="border-right: 1px dotted rgb(170, 170, 170); width: 50%;"|~20,000 | style="width: 50%; padding-left: 0.25em;"|~300,000 |- ! colspan="2" style="background-color: rgb(176, 196, 222); text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;"|Casualties and losses |- | style="border-right: 1px dotted rgb(170, 170, 170); width: 50%;"|4,000 | style="width: 50%; padding-left: 0.25em;"|20,000 |} The Hispalis-Sarabian war is the modern name for a military conflict between the two ancient city states Hispales and Sabaria in Rothinoi Peninsula which took place in the early Archaic period, between c. 150 and 200 AM. The reason for war was, according to tradition, the struggle for the fertile Rothinoi Peninsula and the cultural clash between the two city states for the commercial control of the peninsula. Due to the economic importance of the two participating poleis, the conflict spread considerably, with many further city states joining either side, resulting in much of the peninsula being at war, depending on their ethnic origin, the war itself meant the hegemony of the winning culture in the peninsula and its role in the religion in later years. Date of the War We have no direct information in ancient sources to date this war. Indirect evidence in later Selloi historians as Theopilus Antoni points towards a date ca 150 or 155 AM, that situates it halfway between history and legend. At the very same time, the site of Lefkandi was being incrementally deserted, perhaps as a consequence of the turmoil. The foundation stories of the joint a Selloi colony at Ischia suggest that at the mid-3th century Hispales and Sabaria were cooperating. Furthermore, Theognis can be read to imply there was a conflict between the two cities in the same century. While a few historians have suggested this as the date of the Hispalis-Sabarian War, it is more probable that Antoni refers to a second, smaller and even less known war: "we are certainly not dealing with a 'numerous cleansing war, but a war of commercial hegemony that lasted over 50 years'", remarks some modern historians. Background Hispales and Sabaria are ports on the north and south coast of Ruthenia respectively. Both cities claimed the peninsula, perhaps originally using the river Danuba, which traverses the plain from north to south, as a natural border. Although, strictly speaking, Sabaria is located outside the plain, it had a historical claim to it. The reason is that Sabariawas probably initially the port for a mother town situated further east. That town was located at the mouth of the Danuba, near modern Akragas. Its ancient name is unknown, so it is generally called by that of the modern settlement. Akragas suffered heavy destructions in c. 125 AM, after which the majority of its population probably moved to Sabaria. Sabaria and Hispales originally had a political union because both cities were the most important in terms of culture and commerce, Hispales was a known Selloi city that dominated all trade north and was a benchmark for all foreign traders, while Sabaria was the quintessential Mauryan city, which had a large military and political power throughout the peninsula and southern Maurian city states of the region In the 2th century, Cinspatria was one of the economically strongest regions of Ruthenia. The two leading powers of the peninsula, Hispales and Sabaria were among the driving forces behind the apoikiai of the Marmoran, acting for a long time not as competitors but as collaborators. Around the mid-2th century, they jointly founded Al Mina, a colony conceived to facilitate trade with the eastern Marmoran. Roughly at the same time, they expanded westwards. Together with other city-states, Sabaria secured access to the western Marmora Sea. Since the second quarter of the 2th century, Hispalis traders were present on the island of Pithekoussai (Ischia) off the coast of Marmora, to conduct trade with the Sarbians. A few decades later, Cumae, the first Greek colony on the mainland was founded. Around 135 AM, Sabaria founded the first Mauryan colony in Arcadia, a point which Choniates saw as the true start of the colonisation. Shortly thereafter, Rhegion and Zankle were founded on either side of the strategically important Straits of Megeronion. Reason for war According to tradition, the war was caused by a conflict about the expansion between both cities. This very fertile area had for a long time been used for agriculture, including the cultivation of vines. In Ruthenia, where fertile land is scarce, wars for agriculturally attractive terrain were not uncommon, especially in the Archaic period, e.g. between Terepesos and Beretea. Nevertheless, it remains unclear why Hispales and Sabaria suddenly came to blows over the territories in the peninsula, after apparently being in agreement on its use for a long time. The origin of the conflict could be connected to a natural disaster. At the end of the 2th century, Ruthenia suffered from a severe drought. It is likely that the Hispalis establishment on Andros was abandoned as a result. This drought and the attendant famine could have led to both Hispales and Sabaria laying claim on all of the Ruthene Peninsula. Course of War The war between Hispales and Sabaria probably began around 150 AM. Although both cities must have possessed large fleets, it was waged on land. Since the war took place before the development or introduction of Selloi warfare, but under exclusion of bows and slingshots, most of the combatants were probably lightly armed swordsmen. According to another view, the war consisted mainly of cavalry engagements. The relevant lines by Thersites indicate that the war was still ongoing through the poet's lifetime (he is usually thought to have died c. (145AM). It is possible, and likely, that the conflict was subdivided in several phases of warfare and ceasefires during the constant migrations and foreign invasions in the peninsula. Troops Sabaria at its height (a period brought to an end by this war) could field 30,000 Soldiers, 6000 cavalry and 60 chariots. This implies that this conflict took place at the transitional time between the prehistoric and the lat archaic date. The size and numbers of Hispales forces are unknown. We only know that their infantry was superior and their cavalry inferior to that of Sabaria, but the size of their influence suppose a force of 20,000 men but the Selloi had more military experience and had more infrastructure than the Sabarians. Alliances and Extent Primarily, the war would have involved the two conflicting cities and their territories. At the time of the war, the state of Sabaria included one quarter of the island of Shiod as well as the nearby Cyclades (Andros, Tenos, and Kea). The expansion of the conflict into other regions and the number of allies are disputed. There are direct references to three further participants apart from Hispales and Sabaria: Meletia on the side of Sabaria and Samaa as well as Tartossa on that of Hispales. Beyond these, the enmities and alliances between Archaic Selloi states known from other sources have led to further suggestions of parties involved, leading some scholars to propose up to 40 participants. Such numbers would, however, imply broad-ranging political alliance systems, which the majority of scholars do not consider likely for the 2th century. Even if many other cities were involved in warfare at the same time, it cannot, however, be argued that every conflict between Selloi states of the time was part of this war. Thus, most scholars assume that, apart from the cities mentioned above, only Argyra, Korinos and Magora, and perhaps also Cheosos and Ereteria took part. Timocrates and Consequences The war was decided in 198 AM when a Hispalis General called Timocrates took over as supreme leader of the Selloi and led to his and all his troops at the Battle of White Lake which meant the victory of the Selloi and the slow decline of the Mauryan influence in the peninsula. After the long war the Mauryan city states, once the leading region of Ruthenia, had become a backwater. The defeated Sabaria and the victor Hispales had lost their former economic and political importance. On the Mediterranean markets, Beretea vase painting had taken over the dominant role previously occupied by Hispales pottery. The hegemony of the Selloi culture in the region assured future generations the language and the rescue of Selloi culture in the peninsula, along with the Ruthene cultural hegemony, the Mauryans fell and founded their own state cities where Arcadia predominated as the most important, even being compared, in his time, with Beretea as "the queen of cities" 500 years later almost all the exiled Mauryans created his own state called Principality of Arcadia founded by one of the defenders of Sabaria, Catullio See Also *History of Ruthenia *Rothoi League *Timocrates *Principality of Arcadia Category:Ruthenia Category:History of Ruthenia